Hoping to make this upcoming academic year even better than the last? Maybe you want to see a bit of the world while supporting students’ intercultural development?
The Be World Ready (BWR) team is inviting NC faculty and staff to apply to lead an International Field Study (IFS) trip for winter 2020 term. All trips take place during winter break week, February 22 to March 1. Applications are being accepted until August 30, 2019. Click here to apply.
Being a trip leader is an opportunity to provide NC students with an unforgettable global learning opportunity while having a professional and personal development experience of a lifetime. With new funding being made available to support new and more outbound opportunities for NC students, there is no better time to take advantage of this unique opportunity.
Trips abroad are typically a 10-day commitment (including travel days) and staff and faculty may suggest a destination in cooperation with the Cultural and Global Engagement team, or, choose to lead a pre-selected program in need of an NC champion. There have been a wide variety of IFS trips in recent years, from Amsterdam and Germany to Peru and the USA. Each trip will have between 12 and 25 students each, with hundreds of students travelling worldwide each break week.
The number of staff leads for each trip depends on the destination and the various parameters within each IFS activity. Each IFS is unique; the itinerary is developed and set by the host institution/ partner or, the itinerary is developed in consultation between the staff lead and the BWR team.
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$147.9 million federal funding was announced in the 2019/2020 budget, half of which is expected to be used towards aiding post-secondary Canadian students to study and work abroad. A large portion of this funding is intended to support the development of international opportunities and the promotion of these opportunities to students at Colleges. The amount of funding per institution will be determined after a call for competitive proposals is made.
School of Technology professor, Joseph Otta, was inspired by his students to get involved with a BWR IFS trip after having a discussion with his Mechanical Engineering Technology class last fall. Not having all of the answers to their questions about international opportunities in their field, Otta approached the BWR team and learned about how to start an IFS. Maxine Semple and the BWR team provided Otta with the support and resources he needed to lead a meaningful IFS experience for his students. This fall 2019, Otta will lead an IFS trip to Germany.
“I am a strong advocate for building educational opportunities to help facilitate experiential learning for both myself and my students,” said Otta. “I am a true believer in learning through life experiences and feel the IFS trip is a great avenue for professional development. The trip will help to further develop positive relationships with my students and will promote new industry connections abroad.”
Otta explained how the Mechanical Engineering Technology program strives to create real life industry experiences with the intent to motivate learning. “I believe we all can learn new approaches to solving problems by being open-minded about new philosophies, work cultures, and understanding of others differences,” said Otta. “Learning how to communicate ideas with diverse audiences and across cultures creates a competitive advantage for individuals and organizations.”
A large part of leading an IFS trip involves supporting the recruitment and promotion of their trip to students within the approved programs. Leads are also expected to collaborate with their program colleagues and the BWR team to develop an in-class promotional schedule to promote the IFS to students. Niagara’s International division will provide specialized support and training for staff of their roles and responsibilities in supporting student success abroad. All logistical components of the trip are managed by the BWR team.
While abroad, IFS trip leads are expected to be an ambassador for Niagara College, and assist and support student logistics, coordination, inquiries, and support risk-management as needed. Vocationally-specific IFS leads will have an increased level of responsibility in planning and coordinating the international opportunity from the academic perspective.
Step-by-Step process for an IFS lead:
- Discuss intent to lead or develop an IFS with your direct supervisor;
- Visit the ‘Staff’ tab on the BWR website;
- Contact Maxine Semple [email protected] to discuss options for your proposed IFS;
- Complete the International Opportunity Application Form under the “Staff” tab by August 30;
- Work with the office of Cultural & Global Engagement to finalize IFS;
- Schedule in-class and marketing promotion of IFS to students (In-class, blackboard), with assistance from BWR;
- Attend mandatory lead pre-departure sessions;
- Attend student IFS pre-departure session;
- Travel abroad with the students – have a professional development and personal experience of a lifetime, all expenses covered by the BWR program;
- Complete trip report template within 30 days of return.
Questions about BWR opportunities can be sent to Maxine Semple, Cultural and Global Engagement manager, [email protected], or 905-735-2211 ext. 3659.
